Through the Looking Mind
by GDomarina
Summary: A two-shot of Combustion Man's origins before becoming an assassin for Zuko. Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is split into two parts. Other than that, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender.**

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_I am a proud soldier of the Fire Nation. I will serve my country and protect my country from harm's way. I will be loyal to the Fire Lord and his almighty army. I will serve without question, do as I'm told, when I'm told. I give this oath to my nation._

The oath I took long ago to my nation was engraved in the back of my head after weeks of memorizing and brutal fire bending practices. Now no longer a trainee, I uphold what I said as I braced myself for the upcoming battle under the Great Dragon of the West.

"Fire Nation soldiers! We will not stand down!" Our company leader yelled over us. "We will not back down! We will fight till the end!"

"YES!" Everyone thundered back, waving their spears and fists into the dimly lit sky. It was twilight, any minute now the sun, our source of energy, will appear itself and we will begin our invasion on Ba Sing Se. Adrenaline pumped into my veins and I looked at my best friend, Gao, next to me.

He gave me a goofy grin, his eyes shone with energy under his helmet. "Are you ready for this, Chong? You think you can knock out more earthbenders than me?"

I rolled my eyes at him, but smiled nonetheless. "Just keep up with the master bender here, ok?" I tipped my helmet at him and he chuckled. Gao opened his mouth to retort back at me, but was cut off as yellow rays shone from the sky. We all looked up. Our sun has risen from the horizon, giving us the power to destroy the Earth Kingdom.

The screams of the Fire Nation roared as our troops ran and collided with the awaiting Earth Kingdom soldiers. I ran at full speed, not losing sight of my best friend. In a matter of hours, us firebenders were able to take the upper hand against the earthbenders. Of course, we did this because of our magnificent leader, General Iroh. Without him, this wouldn't have happened. We wouldn't have managed to get through Ba Sing Se. This went on for the next six hundred days. Us firbenders all but trampling the puny earthbenders. We burned, destroyed, and overpowered the weaklings.

It was a cool night. My platoon and I were sitting having a drink, having successfully conquered yet another section of the dwindling Earth Kingdom. We were all laughing, having fun, briefly relieving our stress from the battle and honoring our fallen comrades. A young man, possibly a new recruit fresh from the academy, gave me a new bottle to refill my empty one in my hand. I smiled at him in gratitude as he took a seat across from me.

Suddenly a red hawk flew over to our leader. He took the message wrapped on the bird's ankle before flying away. The captain opened the letter and read through it, his eye's narrowing as he went down the scroll, then he widened his golden pupils. "Unbelievable. That ungrateful coward," he mumbled in frustration before he threw the letter on the ground, landing next to my foot. He cleared his throat.

It took several seconds, but we all eventually quieted down. A sober Gao sat next to me, having been dancing around the fire just moments before. "What's wrong, Captain?" He asked our leader of war.

"General Iroh's son has been killed today," he paused as several soldiers gasped. I looked over at Gao, who had a shocked expression. No doubt I was wearing a similar one on my face. The captain continued on. "He wishes to retreat his advances on Ba Sing Se and return home."

We were all silent at that. The Great Dragon of the West wanted to retreat all because of a broken heart? I don't know if I want to praise him for putting his family first or simply look down upon him for being a coward. We are this close to the city. A few more months of fighting with the resistance, yes, but we will get the Earth Kingdom's capitol!

As if reading my thoughts, our captain said exactly that, and more. "We will act now! We are just a few miles from the next town! And from there, the heart of Ba Sing Se! Once we take it under the control of the Fire Nation, General Iroh will see his errors in his ways and return to battle with us. Who's with me?" Our whole platoon stood instantly and our captain smiled proudly. "I will call the nearest company and have them follow our lead. Gear yourselves boys, we're leaving in an hour."


	2. Chapter 2

**Second part to Combustion Man's brief origins before becoming the man he is/was.**

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"It's a trap! They've got us surrounded!"

I held my hands up, blasting fire at any opposing man who came near us. It was just a few hours after our captain rendezvoused with another company and made our way through a quiet town. Unbeknownst to us, the earthbenders found out about Lu Ten's demise and had expected a night-attack from the enraged Dragon of the West. What they didn't know was that General Iroh hadn't sent us, rather we took the initiative and made the first move. It was a wrong first move.

We outnumbered the opposite benders, but we didn't know the town geography as well as the Earth rebellions. To make matters worse, we had no sun, so our firebending wasn't at it's maximum power. Not only did I realize this night-attack a stupid idea, but it was also wasteful. Right and left, my comrades exploded from the ground as the earthbenders tossed them across the buildings. They're bodies didn't stand back up, just laying there as their spirits left the living world.

I grimaced when I saw the familiar red-clothed man's limbed figure just minutes after our initial attack. He looked only twenty years old. With a shudder, I realized the dead body belonged to the same young man who drank across from me just a matter of hours ago. _He had a whole life ahead of him. Maybe even a family. Now he's dead_, I thought then immediately shook it away. _I will serve my country and protect my country from harm's way. These people are my rivals and they were harming my people._ At that, I blasted an earthbender's foot from under him. His clothes caught on fire and he stumbled screaming as he literally burned to death.

Now, several of us, Gao and I included, were being circled by another group of benders, obviously ready to throw the boulders they were holding above our heads. We all took our stances, ready to either kill or die for our country when it happened.

Somewhere above us, a large round metal fireball zoomed in the air. It was heading straight for us. I lodged my foot onto the ground, hoping my body doesn't become airborne. Just before the fiery object landed on us, I noticed one of the earthbenders about to drop his boulder on top of Gao. I instinctively lunged my right arm and leg out as fire blasted from my limbs onto the man, saving my friend's life.

"Chong!" I heard Gao's voice from afar but I couldn't answer. The metal ball had landed on my right limbs and everything went dark.

I woke up in a daze. I had no clue what had happened or where I was. All I knew was that my right side was completely numb to the point I couldn't feel it, it was like my arm and leg were dead. I shifted my head to see the damage on my limbs and found no biological ones. In it's places was a mechanical arm and a mechanical leg. I fought back fear and anguish at having lost part of my body.

I tried sitting up only to find that my wrists, legs, and waist were tied down by a strap. _What is going on here?_ I took my bearings and found myself in a lightly lit metal chamber. _Where the hell am I?! I gasped. GAO!_

Near me a body laid down in an identical bed and strappings. The body itself looked mangled and torched in some areas of his face and scalp. His mouth was closed shut and with another gasp, I noticed thin fabrics that tied both lips together. I wanted to desperately yell out his name, but couldn't find the strength to do so. Instead I whimpered like a coward.

"Gao", I whispered helplessly. His eyes were dazed, unfocused, and moist. It was obvious he had been crying. But why would a proud Fire Nation soldier cry? It doesn't matter. Right now my best friend is in trouble. "Don't worry, buddy. I'll save us." Gao mumbled incoherently.

I tried to summoned my firebending, but to no avail. All I produced was a weak _phew_ from a weak flame. "Come on!" I yelled as I summoned another fireball to burn the wretched straps.

"There is no point in breaking those. They are fire resistant." I looked over to the approaching voice. The man was tall and lanky, wearing a white lab coat and glasses. "Chong Ming, you've been unconscious for the past three months," he went on to finger several utensils on a nearby table.

"Who're you? Where am I? What have you done to my friend?!"

The lab coat man grinned evilly. "Isn't it obvious? I am a mad scientist? As for your location, you are in a secret chamber underneath the Fire Nation. You and your... dismembered... soldiers were brought to my lab for-" He gestured at my prosthetic limbs. "Most of the soldiers have lost arms and legs, no longer allowing them to firebend. So I asked myself, what is another way to bend?"

The Mad Scientist paced around the room. "Then I got it! We enhance the bender! If we can do it via hands and feet and for the select few, mouth, we can bend through our minds!"

"That's impossible! It can't-"

"Oh but I am managing!" The coated figure interrupted. "I have tried and failed several times. Your friend here, kept breathing fire so I had to shut him up. His bending is strong, but his_ mind_ isn't strong. But you..." He pointed at him.

"You should've been dead after losing your arm, leg, and half of your blood. You shouldn't be able to firebend at a weak state you're in right now. But you did." He stroke his chin. "Perhaps you will be successful..."

"This is mutany!" I struggled against my restraints. "I will not allow you to kill us for some stupid experiment! I won't allow you to-"

"It is already done!" He exclaimed. "Now, how do I begin this..." He turned to Gao. "I wonder?" His lengthy arms reached for a pair of incisors and began dissecting his friend. Gao screamed through tight lips as the mad scientist continued looking through his open body.

"NO!" I felt my energy, my _chi_, shifting within me. I've always used my muscular body to attack, not anymore. I let out a howl as something flashed over my head. Terrified of what it might've been, I closed my eyes. After a few silent seconds, I reopened them and found that the mad scientist had been struck. His coat was burned along with his face and hands.

Gao looked at me bewildered and then I realized the flash came from me. _The restraints are fire resistant_, I thought. _But I can cut them with my fingers. _I experimentally lifted my right finger and began cutting through the bands. In a matter of seconds, I hopped out of bed then looked at Gao.

"Don't worry, I'll get us out." I placed a cloth on top of his open-wounded chest and cut him loose. Just as I had collected him in my arms, the doors swung open revealing another man in a white coat. He gaped at us then at the dead scientist on the floor. "Stop!" I shouted when he started to run out. I felt the flash explode out of my head. The wall and the man blew into pieces. Panicking, I ran for the exit, already hearing men running towards the loud explosion.

I hoppled through the corridors, still not used to my metal leg. Miraculously, we managed to evade everyone inside and have gotten out. I breathed in the fresh air and carried my best friend to safety. It didn't matter if it was dark out, I can be blind and still know my way around my home country.

Exhaustion finally greeted me and I finally put Gao down in a faraway village. He was panting, as he clutched for dear life. "Stay with me, Gao. You'll make it through this." I whispered, but I knew it was a lie, and so did he.

Gao smiled despite his stitches. He placed a bloody hand on my shoulder. I watched as Gao's once bright yellow eyes slowly dimmed down until nothing was left. His hand fell limply on his lifeless body. I bowed my head and let quiet tears slip out as I mourned for my friend.

Finally, I closed his eyes and stood up. My dark pupils, tainted with war and loss, watched the yellow-orange sun rise over the village. Years passed without a single word being uttered from my lips. Like my bending and my limbs, my chosen profession and reputation changed. I was no longer a soldier. I no longer existed. My friends and family believed me dead, killed in the Battle of Ba Sing Se.

Today, I firebend with my mind. I am an assassin. Chong Ming, the proud Fire Nation soldier who would serve his country and protect his country from harm's way; be loyal to the Fire Lord and his almighty army was , I served without question, do as I'm told, when I'm told, forever silent.

I remember a puny water tribe boy naming me after a product of heat and flames. I snickered at the initials of my moniker and my birth name being 'CM'. Chong Ming had died when the metal fireball struck him long ago. In it's place, Combustion Man, as awful as the name is, lives.


End file.
